Could get even more messy. What do average Russians think?
Good question. A possible indicator might be to see how their athletes perform in Beijing. Lackluster performances might suggest lack of enthusiasm for this resurgence of Russian Imperialism.
I would bet the average Russians back the government. The support for Putin has been very strong, and many miss the superpower status.
Average Russians long for past glory. They think they are entitled to everything they once controlled.
That what they think matters little, and they should keep their head down, lest they lose it.
If the Russians go into Ukraine...one of two things could happen...a)NATO does nothing and we basically lose Eastern Europe to fear of the Russians. (I didn’t think this before all this, but the SITREP now...) or b) NATO decides enough is enough and we slide down a slope heading to the Third World War (and in that case Freepers, I’d find a decent hole to hide in).